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Could You Have Osteoporosis?

Signs and Symptoms of the "Silent Thief"

The signs of osteoporosis can be subtle or non-existent. The disease usually creeps up on people before they know what hit them.

Further Reading

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Vitamin D and Bone Health

Vitamin D is among the most important nutrients for both prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. If you don't get enough vitamin D, even the most effective drug treatments will not work as intended.

Staying Strong

Osteoporosis Blog

Pizza for Your Bones?

Friday January 26, 2007
Many studies have reported that including fruits and vegetables as a significant part of the overall diet is beneficial to bone health. There may be many components of fruits and vegetables responsible for this. Researchers at the University of Toronto reported that lycopene, found mostly in tomato products, slows bone breakdown rates and likely helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

They studied 33 postmenopausal women and found that those with the greatest intake of lycopene from their diet had the lowest blood levels of markers of bone loss. On average, those with the lowest rates of bone loss consumed daily the amount of lycopene present in about two tablespoons of tomato sauce or catsup.

Lycopene is absorbed by the body more efficiently from cooked tomato products than it is from fresh tomatoes. Also, the presence of some fat in the meal increases the intestinal absorption of lycopenes.

So, pizza looks rather good as a food for bones: cheese provides the calcium along with some fat to enhance the absorption of lycopene from the tomato sauce. As part of a diet with plenty of overall variety, you and your bones can feel good about enjoying pizza and other foods made with tomato sauces. Hold the mayo, extra catsup please!

Source
Rao, Leticia G. et al. “Lycopene Consumption Decreases Oxidative Stress and Bone Resorption Markers in Postmenopausal women.” Osteoporosis International 18 (2007): 109-15. (See article abstract)

Do Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Affect Osteoporosis Risk?

Wednesday January 24, 2007
Both pregnancy and nursing a child place big demands on a mother's body. Large amounts of nutrients, especially calcium, are transferred from a woman's body to both the growing fetus during pregnancy and to the young baby via breastfeeding. This creates a substantial calcium demand on a woman's body causing calcium to be drawn from the mother's bones. Does this affect her overall risk of developing osteoporosis? Read more.
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